Agitator



N. K. MORRIS June 17, 1969 AGITATOR Sheet Filed Oct. 20, 1967 '(llLlLl/l N PO INVENTOR NATHAN K. MORRIS ATTORNEYS.

June 17, 1969 N. K. MORRIS 3,450,391

' AGITATOR Filed Oct. 20, 1967 Sheet 3 or s 5:5; v INVENTOR NATHAN K. MORRIS ATTORNEYS:

' June 17, 1969 Filed Oct. 20, 1967 FIG. 6

. INVENTOR NATHAN K. MORRIS N. K. MORRIS 3,450,391

AGITATOR Sheet 3 ota ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,450,391 AGITATOR Nathan K. Morris, Neptune, NJ. (1217 Main St., Asbury Park, NJ. 07712) Filed Oct. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 676,853 Int. Cl. B01f 7/20; B08b 3/00 US. Cl. 259--122 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable agitator utilizing a self-contained battery power source to power a high-speed electric motor. The motor and batteries are housed in an upper section which rests on the container in which the mixing takes place. In one embodiment, the agitator is used as a drink mixer, and in a second embodiment it is used as a denture washer. In the second embodiment a hold-down member prevents damage to the dentures.

This invention relates to electrically powered agitators, and more particularly to agitators of the type utilizing a self-contained power source.

Electrically driven agitators are widely used for many purposes. Aside from the variety of industrial agitators, there are various types of agitators used in the home for such things as drink mixers, blenders, paint mixers, denture cleaners and the like. All of the various agitators in current use suffer from the joint disadvantages of being heavy and only operable from an external power source, usually 110 volts AC, so that they are not, in any way, portable.

A need has become apparent for an agitator which can be used to mix drinks both of the alcoholic and of the non-alcoholic variety which is portable in every respect. Such an apparatus would have to combine the features of having a self-contained power source as well as being light in weight and resistant to damage caused by impact from dropping luggage in which it is packed. Further, as wearers of dentures will readily recognize, there is a need for a completely portable denture cleaner so that people who are traveling can easily clean their dentures without being put to considerable inconvenience.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an agitator which is portable and operates from a self-contained power source.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a lightweight agitator which operates from a self-contained power source and may be used as a drink mixer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable agitator with a self-contained power source which is adaptable for use in washing dentures without damaging the same.

This invention will be better understood, and objects other than those set forth will become apparent after reading the following detailed description thereof. Such description refers to the annexed drawings presenting preferred and illustrative embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a drink mixer constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the upper section of an agitator according to the invention showing the motor, self-contained power source and switch mechanism, with a portion shown in section;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of a denture cleaner constructed in accordance With this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a denture washer according to this invention taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3, showing the hold-down member;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical elevational view of the container used in the agitator according to this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view of a denture cleaner constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the denture holder of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 is shown a drink mixer in accordance with this invention which comprises a cup-shaped container 10, an upper section 12, a cover 14 and a motor 15 located in the upper section 12 with a shaft -16 protruding downwardly therethrough and a propeller 18 driven by the motor 15 and connected thereto by drive shaft 20.

The container 10- sits in an identical container 10 which is provided merely for decorative purposes and as an addition-a1 drinking cup. Container 10' tapers inwardly at the lower end thereof so that it is slightly smaller at the bot-tom than at the top. A ridge 22 is disposed radially on its inner surface in spaced relationship with the top so that a container 10 may be nested within another such that its outer wall 24, which is slightly downwardly tapered, will be frictionally engaged with the ridge 22 of the container into which it is being inserted. This can be seen in FIGURE 1 where container 10 is inserted into the additional container '10 where it is frictionally engaged by the ridge 22'. Container 10 also contains a shoulder 26 disposed radially on its inner surface in a spaced relationship with the top and the bottom of the container 10. Associated with the shoulder 26 are two stops 28 disposed opposite each other. The shoulder 26 and the stops 28 will be further described in reference to a second embodiment hereinbelow.

Container 10 also includes a bottom portion 30 which contains a centrally disposed well portion 32 having a flat bottom surface. Wall 24 extends, downwardly beyond bottom portion 30 to form a flange 31. The outer surface of the wall 24 of container 10 comprises vertical ribs 34 (FIGURE 5) which serve a dual function of engaging ridge 22 when several containers are nested together and also of preventing the container 10* from slipping from a users hand if the outer surface should be wet, and circumferential bead 36 the top of which forms the rim 38. The container 10 is made of any suitable plastic and may be transparent or opaque. It may also be clear or colored for added attractiveness. Typical plastics which may be used for container 10', as well as for other plastic components as hereinafter described, and which are by no means limiting, are Delrin, polycarbonates, polyolefins, polydiolefins, and vinyl polymers.

The upper section 12 has a substantially circular side wall 40, a bottom portion 42 and an outer peripheral downwardly extending flange 44 inwardly of the outer circumference of the upper section 12. The upper section 12 rests on the upper surface 38 of the container 10 with the flange 44 abutting the inner circumferential edge of the container 10. Centrally located in the bottom 42 of the upper section 12 is a well 46. The motor 15 is mounted in the well 46, frictionally engaging the walls thereof. The shaft 16 protnudes through the bottom of the well 46 in order to drive the propeller 18 by means of the drive shaft 20.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, motor 15 is a high-speed electric motor which operates on a self-contained DC power source provided by two C type flashlight batteries or the like 48. The flashlight batteries 48 are located on either side of the motor 15 in the upper section 12 making contact with battery clips 50, 52 and 54 and are placed so that they will be connected in series. Arrows 56 are provided in upper section 12, either by molding or by other well known means, for the convenience of the user to indicate the proper placement of the batteries 48. The battery clips 50, 52 and 54 are constructed of a suitable 3 metal and are fixedly secured to the upper section 12 by known means.

The internal circuitry of the motor 15 is such that one pole of the same is connected to battery clip 50 by means of wire 58 and the second pole of the motor is grounded to the metal motor housing 60. The switch mechanism, generally designated by numeral 62, comprises contactpivot ring 64 with shaft 66 extending radially outwardly therefrom. A spring 68 is placed on shaft 66 abutting the wall of upper section 12 at one end thereof and shoulders 70 of shaft 66 at the other end thereof. Contact-pivot ring 64 encircles housing 60 and is in intimate contact therewith so as to provide an electrical connection. Shaft 66 extends through slot 72 in the wall of the upper section 12. Handle 74 is slidably engaged on the end of shaft 66. The spring 68 serves to assist in locking the motor 15 in place.'Battery clip 54 includes contact portion 76 situated such that when switch 62 is slidably moved to the on position, shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 3, either the shaft 66, the spring 68, or both will contact the same and complete the electrical circuit to the motor 15.

Cover 14 is seated upon upper section 12 to enclose the motor 15, batteries 48 and switch 62 and prevent dust or moisture from entering. The cover 14 can be any suitable size and shape, such consideration being dictated only by aesthetic principles. It should be noted that while container 10, upper section 12, cover 14, drive shaft 20 and switch handle 74 are fabricated of plastic they need not all be of the same plastic composition but could be fabricated of dissimilar materials.

The inventive mixer of FIGURE 1 is used by placing the ingredients to be mixed into the container placing the upper section 12 and cover 14 upon the container 10', activating the motor and propeller by means of switch 62, and allowing the apparatus to run for a sufficient length of time to thoroughly mix the ingredients. As already noted, container 10 is constructed such that it can be used as a convenient cup and container 10a can be utilized as an additional drinking cup.

Turning now to another embodiment of this invention, there is shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 a denture washer embodying the basic construction described hereinabove. Upper section 12 is seated upon cup-shaped container 10 and has the motor 15, batteries 48, and switch mechanism 62 mounted therein. Cover 14a encloses the upper section 12. Plastic hold-down member 80 is seated upon shoulder 26. Hold-down member 80 comprises a central portion 82 and a plurality of extensions 84 and 86 radiating outwardly from the central portion 82. While four extensions 84 are shown of sufiicient length to rest on the shoulder 26, it should be understood that three or more extensions of such length will sufiice to provide the necessary support and balance for the hold-down member 80, with four being the preferred number. Extensions 86 radiate outwardly a shorter distance than extensions 84 and, by this configuration, assist in providing the proper water circulation. When the hold-down member 80 is placed in the container 10 to rest on the shoulder 26, it is turned such that two of the extensions 84 will contact the stops 28 which prevent further rotation of the holddown member 80. Locking members 88, also fabricated of a suitable plastic, are provided to prevent the holddown member 80 from upward movement. The relation between stops 28 and extensions 84 is such that when the motor is in operation turning the propeller 18, the direction of movement of the liquid will force the extensions 84 against the stops 28 rather than away from the same. The drive shaft a is such length that the propeller is located immediately above the hold-down member 80. The dentures are placed in the compartment 90 of container 10 which is created by the placement of holddown member 80.

To operate the inventive denture cleaner the user will place his dentures in the lower compartment 90, place the hold-down member 80 into position on shoulder 26,

pour water into container 10 to the proper level and add a conventional denture cleansing agent. The upper section 12, with batteries 48 and cover 14a in place, will then be placed upon container 10 and switch handle 74 moved to the on position to start the motor 15, thereby turning the propeller 18. The switch 62 is then moved to the off position and the dentures are allowed to soak for a desired length of time or are removed.

FIGURES 5 and 6 depict another embodiment of the inventive denture cleaner. The upper section 12 containing the motor 15, batteries 48 and switch mechanism 62, and the cover 14a are essentially identical with the likenumbered parts of FIGURE 3. The upper section 12 is seated upon cup-shaped container 100.

Cup-shaped container 100 is modified by the addition of upstanding annular boss 102 located centrally on the bottom surface of centrally disposed well portion 32. Denture holder 104 rests upon the boss 102 in a freely rotatable manner.

Denture holder 104 comprises a central portion 106 and a plurality of extensions 108 radiating outwardly from central portion 106. The center portion and extensions may be fabricated of one piece of plastic as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, or it may be made of a plurality of pieces secured together by conventional means. Upstanding fingers 110 are located on the radial extensions 108 approximately intermediate the center and the extremities of radial extensions 108 and are concentrically disposed about the center. The fingers 110 extend upwardly for a sufiicient distance that they will be higher than a set of dentures which would be placed upon the radial extensions 108.

The drive shaft 201; is of sufficient length that propeller 18 will be located on a level approximately midway between the top and the bottom of fingers 110.

In use, the dentures are placed in the inventive denture cleaner of this embodiment, to rest on the radial extensions 108. Water is poured into the container to the proper level and a conventional cleansing agent is added. The upper section 12 is placed upon the container 100 and the switch 62 moved to the on position to start the motor 15, thereby turning the propeller 18. Due to the motion of the water caused by the propeller, the freely rotating denture holder 104 turns in a carousel-like fashion and provides the dentures with an extra modicum of agitation. When the cleaning is sufiiciently performed, the switch is moved to the off position and the dentures are allowed to soak or are removed.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that the objects set forth have been successfully achieved.

What is claimed is:

1. An agitating apparatus which is adapted to clean dentures, comprising a cup-shaped container having a substantially circular side wall, a removable upper section seated upon said container, an electric motor disposed within said upper section with a propeller shaft protruding downwardly therethrough, a propeller fixedly secured to a lower portion of said shaft, a bottom portion in said cup-shaped container, a centrally disposed well portion having a flat bottom surface in said bottom portion, an upstanding annular boss located centrally on said flat bottom surface, and a denture holder resting on said boss, said denture holder comprising a central portion, a plurality of extensions radiating outwardly from said central portion, and a plurality of upstanding fingers located approximately intermediate the center and the extremities of said extensions and concentrically disposed about the center.

2. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein a self-contained direct-current power source for said motor is disposed within said upper section.

3. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said motor is a high-speed electric motor having a metal housing, said metal housing comprising one electrical terminal of said motor, said motor further including a second terminal connected to one terminal of said power source, said apparatus further comprising switch means for connecting said one electrical terminal to a second terminal of said power source.

4. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said switch means comprises an elongate metal shaft rotatably mounted on said metal housing in electrical contact therewith such that said switch means contacts said second terminal of said power source when in one position, thereby completing an electrical circuit to operate said motor, and such that said switch means breaks said electrical circuit when in a second position.

5. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a cover member removably attached to said upper section to protect said motor from damage.

6. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said container, said upper section and said cover are fabricated of at least one type of plastic.

7. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said plastic comprises at least one member of the group consisting of polyolefins, polycarbonates, polydiolefins, and vinyl polymers.

8. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said plastic comprises Delrin.

9. An agitating apparatus which is adapted to clean dentures, comprising a cup-shaped container having a substantially circular side wall, a removable upper section seated upon said container, an electric motor disposed within said upper section with a propeller shaft protruding downwardly therethrough, a propeller fixedly secured to a lower portion of said shaft, a shoulder disposed radially on the inner surface of said container at a distance from the bottom of said container suflicient to allow said dentures to rest between said bottom and said shoulder, hold-down means to prevent said dentures from being dislodged by said propeller, said hold-down means comprising a central portion and a plurality of extensions radiating outwardly from said central portion for a sufiicient distance that said extensions rest on said shoulder, and securing mean sassociates with said shoulder to secure said protector means from being dislodged by said propeller and allow easy removal of said protector means for maintenance.

10. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said hold-down means includes at least three of said outwardly radiating extensions of a sufficient length to rest on said shoulder.

11. An agitating apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said hold-down means includes four of said extensions of a suflicient length that they rest on said shoulder, and four additional extensions of a shorter length than the aforesaid four extensions.

12. An agitating apparatus which is adapted to mix drinks, comprising a cup-shaped container having a substantially circular side wall, a removable upper section seated upon said container, an electric motor disposed within said upper section with a propeller shaft protruding downwardly therethrough, a propeller fixedly secured to a lower portion of said shaft, said cup-shaped container comprising a first container which is slightly downwardly tapered so that the lower portion of said container is smaller than the upper portion of said container, and a base consisting of a second cup-shaped container with a radially disposed ridge on the inner surface of its upper portion frictioanlly engaging the lower portion of said first container, said second cup-shaped container being removable to be utilized as a drinking cup.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT W. JENKINS, Primary Examiner.

US. 01. X.R. 134 -19z 

